The team was established in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a founding member of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). In 1962, the franchise relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and was renamed the San Francisco Warriors. In 1971, the team changed its geographic moniker to Golden State, California's state nickname. The team is nicknamed the Dubs as a shortening of "W's".

Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry have both been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player while playing for the Warriors, for a total of three MVP awards. 18 Hall of Famers have played for the Warriors, while four have coached the team. Golden State holds the NBA records for best regular season with 73–9, best postseason with 16–1 (.941 winning percentage) and most wins in a season (regular season and postseason combined) with 88.

Franchise history

Philadelphia Warriors

The Warriors were founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, a charter member of the Basketball Association of America. They were owned by Peter Tyrrell, who also owned the Philadelphia Ramblers of the American Hockey League. Tyrrell hired Eddie Gottlieb, a longtime basketball promoter in the Philadelphia area, as coach and general manager. He named the team after an early professional team in the city.

The Warriors won their only other championship as a Philadelphia team in the 1955-56 season, defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons four games to one. The stars of this era in the team's history were Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston. In 1959, the team signed draft pick Wilt Chamberlain. Known as "Wilt the Stilt," Chamberlain quickly began shattering NBA scoring records and changed the style of play forever. On March 2, 1962, in a Warrior "home" game played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the Knickerbockers, a single-game record.

San Francisco Warriors logo 1962–1969.

San Francisco Warriors

In 1962, Franklin Mieuli purchased the majority shares of the team and relocated the franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area, renaming them the San Francisco Warriors, playing most of their home games at the Cow Palace (located on the border between San Francisco and Daly City), though occasionally playing home games in nearby cities such as Oakland and San Jose. The Warriors won the 1963-64 Western Division crown, losing the NBA championship series to the Boston Celtics, four games to one.

San Francisco Warriors "The City" logo 1969–1971.

In 1965, the Warriors drafted Rick Barry in the first round. Barry was named NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season, then led the Warriors to the NBA finals in the 1966-67 season, where the team lost (four games to two) to the team that replaced the Warriors in Philadelphia, the 76ers. Angered by management's failure to pay him certain incentive awards he felt he was due, Barry sat out the 1967-68 season, joining the Oakland Oaks of the rival American Basketball Association the following year. After four seasons in the ABA, Barry rejoined the Warriors in 1972.

With the opening of the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1966, the Warriors began scheduling increasing numbers of home games at that venue. The 1970-71 season would be the team's last as the San Francisco Warriors. They changed their name to the Golden State Warriors for the 1971-72 season, playing almost all home games in Oakland. Six "home" games were played in San Diego during that season but more significantly, none were played in San Francisco or Daly City.

Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors logo 1971–1975.

The Warriors won their first championship on the West Coast in 1974-75. In what many consider the biggest upset in the history of the NBA, the Warriors defeated the heavily favored Washington Bullets in a four-game sweep. That team was coached by former Warrior Al Attles, and led on the court by Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes and Phil Smith. So little was felt of the team's chances in the playoffs, that the Coliseum Arena scheduled other events during the dates of the NBA finals. As a result, the Warriors did not play their championship series playoff games in Oakland; rather, they returned to the Cow Palace in Daly City.

Late 1980s–1994

Golden State Warriors logo 1975–1988.

Golden State Warriors logo 1988–1997.

After a subpar stretch in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team had another successful string of wins in the late 1980s to early 1990s with the high scoring trio of point guard Tim Hardaway, guard Mitch Richmond, and forward Chris Mullin (collectively known as "Run T-M-C" after the rap group Run-D.M.C.). However, with then coach Don Nelson wishing to get frontcourt players to complement his run-and-gun system, made a trade that broke up the Run T-M-C core by sending Richmond to the Sacramento Kings for Billy Owens while bypassing Dikembe Mutombo, who was selected next by the Denver Nuggets. Nelson was brought to the team by Jim Fitzgerald, who owned the team between 1986 and 1995. The following year, 1993-94, with first-round draft pick and Rookie of the Year Chris Webber playing alongside Latrell Sprewell, the Warriors made the playoffs.

1995–1999: A period of struggle

Golden State Warriors logo 1997–2010.

The season after that, however, saw a rift form between Webber, Sprewell and Nelson. All three soon left the team, and the organization went into a tailspin. 1994-95 was also the first season under team owner Chris Cohan. Former GMGarry St. Jean and Dave Twardzik receive much of the blame for the Warriors' struggles since then. St. Jean brought in several players, such as Terry Cummings, John Starks, and Mookie Blaylock, who were well past their primes. Twardzik drafted several flops, such as Todd Fuller (while Kobe Bryant was still available) and Steve Logan (who never played an NBA game). St. Jean did, however, draft the future 2-time NBA slam dunk champion Jason Richardson (from Michigan State), who would become a key player on the team until the end of the 2006-2007 season, when he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for their 1st round draft pick, Brandan Wright.

2000-2003

For a few years, with rising stars Antawn Jamison and guard Gilbert Arenas leading the team, the Warriors seemed like a team on the rise. In the end the young Warriors just did not have enough in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. After the 2002-03 season, Garry St. Jean's earlier mistakes of committing money to players like Kevin Outlaw, Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier were painfully felt by Warriors fans when the team was unable to re-sign up-and-coming star Gilbert Arenas, despite Arenas's desire to stay in the Bay Area.

2004–2005: Troubles

After spending two years in the Warriors front office as a special assistant, Chris Mullin succeeded Garry St. Jean and assumed the title of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. Among his first moves were the hiring of three former teammates to help run the organization: Mitch Richmond (special assistant), Mario Elie (assistant coach) and Rod Higgins (General Manager). Mullin hoped to build the team around Richardson, Dunleavy, and Murphy--complementing them with experience in Derek Fisher, a free agent signed by Golden State after playing a key role on three championship Lakers squads, Calbert Cheaney, a playoff-tested sharpshooter and Adonal Foyle, an excellent shot-blocker who is perhaps better known for his off-court work as founder of the campaign finance reform organization, Democracy Matters. The team also drafted 7-foot center Andris Biedrins from Latvia (11th overall). At the 2005 trading deadline, Mullin further added to the team by acquiring guard Baron Davis, bringing the team its first "superstar" since Mullin himself.

2005–2007: Bouncing back

Warriors fans hoped that 2005-06 would finally be the season that the team ended their playoff drought. Despite the poor play of newly re-signed Mike Dunleavy, Jr. and the broken hand of first round draft pick Ike Diogu, the Warriors enjoyed a great start to the 2005-06 season. They entered the new year with a winning percentage over .500 for the first time since 1994, but lost their first five games of 2006 and managed to win only 13 more games through the end of March. Davis failed to remain healthy and played in just 54 games. He suffered a sprained right ankle in mid-February and did not return for long before being listed as an inactive player the remainder of the season. The injury-prone Davis has not played a full season since the 2001-02 campaign. Though Davis is widely considered a star player, he often found himself at odds with coach Mike Montgomery. On April 5, 2006, the Warriors were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 114-109 overtime loss to the Hornets, extending their playoff drought to 12 seasons.

March 4, 2007 marked the turning point in the Warriors season. They suffered a 107-106 loss in Washington handing them their 6th straight loss when Gilbert Arenas hit a technical free throw with less than 1 second remaining. The loss dropped them to 26-35, a hole inspiring the squad to a point of total determination. On April 18, 2007, the Warriors clinched their first playoff bid since 1994 with a resounding 120-98 victory in their season finale at Portland. The Warriors closed out the regular season (42-40) with a 16-5 ending run.[2]
During the run, they beat Eastern top seed Detroit Pistons 111-93, snapping their 6 game losing streak and notching their first win on the tail end of a back-to-back. The Warriors also ended the Dallas Mavericks's 17-game win streak with five players recording double digits.

2006–07 Playoffs: "We Believe" and Making history

On April 22, 2007, the Warriors played their first playoff game in 12 years, and beat the Dallas Mavericks 97-85, holding MVP Dirk Nowitzki to just 4-of-16 shooting, making it 6 straight against the NBA best 67 game winners. But the Warriors were crushed by the Mavericks in Game 2 when both Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson were ejected from the game. Then the Warriors bounced back by winning both Game 3 and 4 at home, putting Dallas on the brink of elimination. A close Game 5 saw the Mavericks eke out a 6-point win of 118-112 to send the 3-2 series back to California. On May 3, 2007, the Warriors, with the help of their explosive third quarter, eliminated the Mavs and became the first #8 seed to beat a #1 seed in a seven-game series. This was the Warriors' first playoff series win in 16 years, and their first 7 game series win since 1976. The Warriors went on to play the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2006-2007 playoffs.

Facing the Utah Jazz in the Conference Semifinals, The Warriors dropped two close games at EnergySolutions Arena to open the series. The Warriors had the chance to win both games late. In Game 1, Stephen Jackson missed a wide open 3 pointer that would have put the Warriors ahead with 6 seconds left. In Game 2, the Warriors led by 5 with 15 seconds left, but missed free throws allowed Jazz to tie the game and eventually win in overtime. The series then shifted to the Oracle Arena, where the Warriors won Game 3 in a convincing blowout. The Warriors went on to lose Game 4 at home, in what was their first loss in Oakland in well over a month. The Jazz closed out the Warriors in Game 5 in Salt Lake City. In the end, the physical play of the Jazz simply wore down the smaller Warriors.

2014–2019: The Dynasty

Golden State Warriors logo 2010–2019.

The Warriors won their 4th title in franchise history during the 2014-2015 season. Stephen Curry won the NBA Most Valuable Player award this season. It also was Steve Kerr's first season as head coach. In the 2015 NBA Finals, the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games (4-2). Andre Iguodala was named Finals Most Valuable Player.

In 2016, the Warriors would set an NBA league record for most wins in the regular season, finishing with a record of 73–9, surpassing the Chicago Bulls' 72–10 record back in the 1995-96 season. In the 2016 NBA Finals, they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of last year's finals. However, the Warriors would lose in seven games after leading the series 3–1, becoming the first team in NBA Finals history to blow a 3–1 lead.

In 2017, the Warriors signed free agent Kevin Durant, making the Warriors prohibitive favorites to win the 2017 NBA championship, according to oddsmakers. The Warriors would sweep their way through the playoffs. In the 2017 NBA Finals, they were pitted against the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, meeting in their third consecutive NBA Finals matchup. The Warriors would get revenge, defeating the Cavaliers in 5 games to win their 5th title in franchise history. Kevin Durant was named Finals Most Valuable Player.

In 2018, the NBA Finals pitted the Warriors against the Cavaliers for the fourth consecutive season; this marked the first time in NBA history that the same two teams had met in the Finals for four consecutive years. The Warriors would go on to sweep the Cavaliers in 4 games, handing Cleveland its 2nd sweep in NBA Finals history, winning their 2nd straight title, and 6th title in franchise history, tying the Chicago Bulls third-most in NBA history. Kevin Durant was awarded Finals Most Valuable Player for a second time. Following the Finals, many writers described the Warriors as a dynasty.

In 2019, the Warriors made their 5th consecutive NBA Finals, in hopes of accomplishing a three-peat, in which the Los Angeles Lakers was the last team to have accomplished the feat, back in 2000-2002. The Warriors met the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals, who were making their first NBA Finals appearance in the franchise history. However, significant injuries to Kevin Durant (ruptured achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL tear) ended their bid for a three-peat, as the Warriors lost to the Raptors in 6 games.

2019–present: Move from Oakland back to San Francisco

In April 2014, the Warriors began the purchase process for a 12-acre (4.9 ha) site in Mission Bay, San Francisco, to hold a new 18,000-seat arena which is expected to be ready beginning with the 2019–20 NBA season, with construction to begin in early 2016. The sale was finalized in October 2015. The location was selected after an original proposal to construct the arena on Piers 30 and 32, just south of the Bay Bridge, met with vocal opposition due to concerns about traffic, environmental impacts and obstruction of views. The new location, which still faces some vocal opposition in San Francisco, apparently eliminates the need for any voter approval, which would have been required with the original site. Some type of waterfront park is planned across from the projected arena, which will be located at an already-existing Muni T-Third stop. The Central Subway, originally planned to open in 2018 and later postponed for 2019, may provide a direct connection between the new site and the downtown Powell Street Muni/BART station. Although the Warriors considered a name change, possibly returning to their former name of San Francisco Warriors, it was ultimately decided that they would remain the Golden State Warriors upon their return to San Francisco. On January 27, 2016, it was announced that the Warriors' new arena would be called Chase Center as part of an agreement with JPMorgan Chase. Approximately 32 months after the January 2017 groundbreaking, the Warriors are expected to take over full control of Chase Center from the two joint construction contractor firms responsible for the building of the arena and attached locations on August 1, 2019, with opening events the following month.

Arizin, Fulks, Gola, Johnston and Phillip played all or most of their tenure with the Warriors in Philadelphia. Chamberlain's tenure was about evenly divided between Philadelphia and San Francisco. Lucas and Parrish were elected mainly for their performances with other teams. Thurmond and Barry are the only Hall-of-Famers who spent significant time with the team since the 1971 move to Oakland and the name change to "Golden State."

Meschery, Attles, Barry, Thurmond and Mullin are also members of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

In the future, the Golden State Warriors are planning to retire the numbers No. 35 and No. 9, who were worn by Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala, respectively. Durant and Iguodala were instrumental in helping the Warriors make five consecutive NBA Finals appearances and winning three NBA championships in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Iguodala was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2015, and Durant was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018. The announcements came from the Golden State Warriors co-chairman and CEO Joe Lacob, after Kevin Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets, and Andre Iguodala was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.